One picture is worth a thousand words. You can imagine how many words there were in the video that got Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice fired Wednesday.

It was a video -- a collection of clips taken from basketball practices between 2010 and 2013 -- showing Rice kicking, grabbing, shoving players, throwing basketballs at them, not to mention using "homophobic slurs.’’

The video was the work of Eric Murdock, on the job as the team’s director of player development at the time.

In November, goes the story, the video was presented to Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti and other Rutgers officials.

In December, after seeing the video and conducting an investigation, Pernetti saw fit to fine Rice $50,000 and suspend him for three games. Following a 15-16 season, Rice received the backing of his AD.

As it happened, it was too late, far too late.

Why?

Because, by this time, the only one who could have saved Mike Rice’s job was Eric Murdock.

How?

By burning all the videos.

By removing all traces of the videos.

In this case, in thousands of words, the video had spoken.

Without the video aired by ESPN on Tuesday, words of players hammered in all sorts of ways by the head coach, players who accepted the hammering, would have had more of an impact, enough of one to save Rice’s hide.

With the video, you might say, his fate was sealed.

You had New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie quickly endorsing the firing. "The way these young men were treated,’’ he said, ‘"was completely unacceptable and violates the trust those parents put in Rutgers University.’’

With the video, you had the AD, Pernetti offering words of regret: "I thought it was in the best interests of everyone to rehabilitate, but I was wrong. Moving forward, I will work to regain the trust of the Rutgers community.’’

With the video, you had some say Rutgers had every reason to fire a 15-16 coach who was no Bob Knight, winner of three NCAA championships.

I think of Knight and I think of how a few seconds of video always will be part of his legacy, not throwing chairs, but choking the neck of one of his Indiana players.

I think of Pernetti and I think of a former Rutgers football player whose job, with an annual salary of $410,000, is now at stake.

USA Today pundit Christine Brennan thought of Pernetti and wondered how its athletic director "saw hours of videotape of the atrocious behavior of the men’s basketball coach last fall and not only failed to fire him, but also welcome him back.’’

"The women’s basketball team was the model of grace and dignity six years ago,’’ wrote Brennan, "when radio shock-jock Don Imus triggered a national scandal and lost his job by calling the players ‘nappy-headed hos’. Two and a half years ago Rutgers freshman Tyrone Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge after a webcam set up by his roommate showed him kissing another man.’’

"Rice is gone now,’’ Brennan continued, "finally, appropriately and very belatedly. He was fired not because it was the right ting to do but because Rutgers grew embarrassed seeing the awful videotape, replayed again and again across the nation. Were it not for the news media attention, Rice would still be Rutgers coach today.’’